Fees Garners PSAC Heaslip Media Award
Courtesy of Mansfield Sports Information
LOCK HAVEN, Pa. --- Brian Fees, the sports editor of The Daily & Sunday Review, has been named the 2017 recipient of the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference George Heaslip Award, the league announced Wednesday evening.
Fees was presented the award by PSAC Commissioner Steve Murray during the Mansfield/Lock Haven basketball doubleheader.
The George Heaslip Award, chosen annually by the PSAC's sports information directors, is named in honor of the late Cheyney University Sports Information Director George Heaslip. The award recognizes a media professional for his or her meritorious service while covering the conference's student-athletes, coaches, and teams. Fees becomes the 29th recipient of the award.
"It's an honor to receive an award like this,” said Fees. “I have always loved covering Mansfield, the rest of the PSAC and all the great high school athletes from our area who have gone on to compete in the conference.”
Fees is in his 15th year as the sports editor of The Daily Review in Towanda, Pa. Prior to that, Fees worked at The Scranton Times and the Corning Leader. He began his career working for Manchester Newspapers in Whitehall, N.Y.
At the Daily Review, Fees has won an AP first-place award for sports feature reporting and has won three Keystone Press Awards for sports story (second place), sports event coverage (first place), and news photo (honorable mention).
A native of Hamlin, N.Y., Fees is a 2000 graduate of St. Bonaventure University.
Fees has provided outstanding coverage of Mountaineer Athletics in his time at The Daily Review, writing feature stories on student-athletes and coaches of every sport. Despite covering numerous high schools and colleges across a large geographical area of Pennsylvania and New York, Fees often makes time to stop by Mansfield University home events to take photos or interview student-athletes. The Daily Review frequently runs Mansfield post game stories and scores for all sports online and in print.
“We’re incredibly fortunate to have Brian covering our athletic teams and student-athletes at Mansfield,” explained Sports Information Director Ryan McNamara. “He does a fantastic job telling the stories of Mountaineer athletes and gives Mansfield a big media presence in the region.”
Fees also covers local student-athletes who compete for other universities in the PSAC and often provides conference sports information directors with photos from games featuring their athletes.
“I have always felt like Mansfield's sports information department is the best around and they make covering the programs there so much easier,” said Fees. “The PSAC has always had some of the most amazing athletes you will find anywhere, making it a pleasure to cover them. The coaches I have dealt with at Mansfield, and throughout the league, are the best you will ever meet, and not just as coaches, but as people.
“I’ve been lucky to work for a paper like the Daily Review that really embraces and supports the sports department. I have also had the chance to work with some great co-workers that have been a big part of the paper's coverage.”
“I have loved every minute of covering athletes in the PSAC and am just humbled to be recognized for doing my job."
Year-by-Year Heaslip Award Winners:
2017 - Brian Fees, The Daily & Sunday Review
2016 - Neil Geoghegan, West Chester Daily Local News
2015 - Jason Bristol, CBS-21 (Harrisburg)
2014 - John Enrietto, Butler Eagle
2013 - Tom Housenick, Allentown Morning Call
2012 - John Dudley, Erie Times-News
2011 - Matt Burglund, Indiana Gazette
2010 - Kevin Freeman, Lancaster Intelligencer-Journal
2009 - Chuck Seese, WVPO/WSBG Radio/Stroudsburg
2008 - Tony Coccagna, Indiana Gazette
2007 - Phil Axelrod, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
2006 - Bob Black, Harrisburg Patriot News
2005 - Ron Bracken, Centre Daily Times
2004 - Liz Sullivan, West Chester Daily Local News
2003 - Dave Mackall, Pittsburgh Tribune Review
2002 - Goose Goslin, KDKA Radio
2001 - By Kintzer, WGAL/WLPA Radio
2000 - Jeff Schuler, (Allentown) Morning Call
1999 - Bob Hafer, Harrisburg Patriot-News
1998 - Tom Coccagna, Chambersburg Public Opinion
1997 - Bill Albright, Williamsport Sun Gazette
1996 - Jim Camp, Erie Morning News
1995 - Jack Benedict, WCCS/Radio Homer City
1994 - Tom Rose, Washington Observer-Reporter
1993 - Jim Doyle, WJMW Radio, Bloomsburg
1992 - Pete Zapadka, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
1991 - Ray “Skip” Hutter, Harrisburg Patriot-News
1990 - Ross Nevel, The Lock Haven Express
1989 - Ray Kienzl, The Pittsburgh Press